One of the few surviving 19th-century police stations in Hong Kong, the old Central Police Station Compound was the headquarters for law enforcement until the Second World War. A few years after the war, it became the regional headquarters for Hong Kong Island, while remaining as the police station for Central district. It was decommissioned and released for adaptive reuse in December 2004.

The dominant structures in the compound are the Barracks Block (constructed in 1864) and the Headquarters Block (completed in 1919). With a Neo-classical facade that overlooked a parade ground, the Barracks Block provided accommodation for single constables and both single and married sergeants. A storey was added in 1906. The verandahs and ventilation grilles in the high ceilings are features that reflect the architectural adaptation to Hong Kong’s subtropical climate.

The Headquarters Block contained offices and officers’ rooms and is notable for its imposing and ornate facade fronting Hollywood Road. Double-storey Doric order columns stand at the verandahs, while the letters ‘G’ and ‘R’ engraved in the centre of the building stand for George Rex, or King George V. All of these features suggest the power and authority of the institution housed within.

The old Central Police Station Compound, the former Central Magistracy and the old Victoria Prison Compound form a unique cluster of buildings, which allow the historical development of the institutions for law and order in Hong Kong since the mid-19th century to be traced.